Baseboard vacuum cleaner system



Get. 15, 1957 L. C. HOPPER BASEBOARD VACUUM CLEANER SYSTEM.

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Filed April 18, 1955 1957 L. c. HOPPER BASEBOARD VACUUM CLEANER SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 18', 1955 0 1 WW 0 A W I E 0m l H rm H q. 7 m flu M L W T [\VIJAM vv WV United States Patent BASEBOARD VACUUM CLEANER SYSTEM Lionel C. Hopper, Salisbury, Md.

Application April 18, 1955, Serial No. 501,853

2 Claims. (Cl. 200--61.6)

This invention relates generally to vacuum cleaning systems, and is more particularly concerned with a novel and useful vacuum cleaner system incorporating a plurality of sockets in the baseboards of a plurality of rooms, said sockets being in communication to a central suction fan wherein said fan is in communication with a refuse outlet and debris collector and in which the plurality of sockets permit utilization of individual vacuum sockets in each of the various room to eliminate the necessity for manipulating relatively heavy vacuum cleaning equipmentwhen cleaning a room.

A further object of invention in conformance with that set forth above is to provide in the baseboard vacuum cleaning sockets, two-position switch mechanism which is retained in a closed position when said outlets are closed, said outlets incorporating a sealing mechanism which maintains maximum suction at which ever vacuum outlet is being used.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numeral-s refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the novel vacuum cleaning system with parts broken away for clarity;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of a centrifugal fan utilized in the vacuum cleaning system;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the vacuum cleaner baseboard sockets utilized in the system;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 66 of Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is a partial diagrammatic wire diagram utilized in conjunction with the two speed switches incorporated in the vacuum cleaner system baseboard vacuum sockets.

Considering Figure 1, a house is indicated generally at 10 including the foundation 12, a plurality of walls 14 which define various rooms each of which incorporates therewith suitable baseboards 16 which have located at desired locations the baseboard vacuum sockets 18 for the vacuum cleaner system. Each of the baseboard vacuum sockets 18 are connected to conduits indicated generally at 28 which extend beneath the floor 22 of the house or building, said conduits 20 terminating at a centrifugal fan indicated at 24.

The fan 24 is suitably secured in the basement of the building where the system is installed, for example, to the floor beam 26 by means of suitable fasteners and anchor brackets 28. Said fan includes a main plate 30 carrying centrally therein a suitable bearing structure 32 and rotating shaft 34 which has secured on one end a suitable pulley 36 on one side of the plate 3 0 and on the other end thereof a suitable impeller 38 of suificient capacity to exhaust air at which ever baseboard socket is being utilized, the impeller being housed within a suitable housing 40. The housing 40 includes a nozzle portion 42 in axial alignment with the shaft 34, a conduit 20 being secured thereon by a suitable tightening clamp illustrated in section at 43, said housing including a pcripheral discharge nozzle 44 which is connected to an exit conduit 46. The exit conduit 46 is connected to a debris catcher 48 which includes an exit portion 50 having a screen opening 52 in communication outside of the building and a lower debris catching portion 54 which may have therein a suitable container which may be periodically emptied at infrequent intervals. The debris catcher 48 may be suitably supported on a platform indicated generally at 56.

Suitably securedto the centrifugal fan plate 30 by means of an outwardly extending support plate 58 is a twospeed motor 60 including a drive pulley 62 having journalled thereover a drive .belt 64 journalled over the drive pulley 36 of the centrifugal fan.

The motor 60 has two speeds, the speed being used depending on the degree of vacuum required in cleaning a given room in picking up a given material, the motor 68 indicated in Figure 7 having the common ground 66, a lead 68 going to one of the windings of the two speed motor and the lead 70 going to the other winding thereof, two-position switch mechanisms 72 being utilized in various locations in the baseboard vacuum sockets for controlling the actuation of the motor.

The baseboard vacuum sockets include elongated rectangular receptacle 74 suitably retained within the wall 14 and having secured to the portion facing into the room a suitable cover plate 76, for example, by means of the fastening screws 78. Each of the baseboard vacuum sockets includes a two-position switch 72 secured at the rear portion of the receptacle 74 by means of a fastening nut 82 and includes a hand manipulable switch element 8% which extends out of the cover plate 76 as clearly seen in Figures 4 through 6. Extending through the back 8-0 of the receptacle 74 in spaced relation to the switch 72 is a tubular element 86 which is fixedly secured thereto by means of solder, for example, indicated at 88 and has its one end portion 90 sealingly secured to a conduit 20 by means of a suitable clamp element 92 shown in section, for example, in Figure 5, the other end 94 terminating adjacent but inwardly spaced from the cover plate 76. The cover plate 76 includes a keyhole slot 96 therein including a circular portion 98 in overlying relationship to the end 94 of the tubular element 86 said circular portion terminating in an elongated slotted portion 100 through which the switch element 84 extends. The underside 102 of the cover plate 76 has suitably secured thereto hinge elements 104 (only one being shown) see Figure 5, which are on opposite sides of the slot portion 100 of the keyhole slot 96 and the keyhole slot 96 has pivotally mounted therein by means of a suitable bracket 1'06 carried on the hinge elements 104 by means of suitable pivot pin 108, a keyhole cover plate 110. The keyhole plate includes on the circular portion received in the circular opening portion 98 and a suitable sealing washer 112 which sealingly engages the upper edge 94 of the tubular element 86 which is connected to the conduit 20. A portion of the element 110 extends into the elongated slotted portion 100 of the keyhole slot 96 includes a pair of leg portions 114 (only one being shown) which extend on opposite sides of the switch element 84 and prevent the accidental actuation thereof, the switch bein manipulated into one of the two positions illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 6 when the plate 110 is pivoted away from the edge 94 of the tubular element 86.

The vacuum cleaner nozzle and hose portion which will be inserted into the baseboard socket has not been shown, but they may be of any suitable nozzle and hose construction with a suitable male portion which may be inserted into the tubular element 86 when the cover 110 is removed therefrom. After the insertion of the vacuum cleaner hose and nozzle portion the switch 84 may be manipulated to the desired position for obtaining desired speed of the motor 60 and accordingly the desired vacuum from the centrifugal fan 24.

Various positional directional terms such as front, rear, bottom, etc., are utilized herein to have only a relative connotation to aid in describing the device and are not intended to be interpreted to require any particular orientation thereof with respect to any external elements.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use in a vacuum cleaning system, a socket including a receptacle having an opening in the front, a suction conduit passed through a wall of said receptacle and terminating adjacent to said opening in the front of said receptacle, a closure for said receptacle, means hingedly mounting said closure in said receptacle in order to close said conduit and permit access to the part of the conduit in said receptacle, a switch to control an electrical device, said switch being disposed in said receptacle and having a switch operating element that protrudes through the opening in the front of said receptacle when said closure is in the closed position, and said closure having an opening through which said switch operating element protrudes when said closure is in the closed position and holds said switch operating element substantially immovable so as to prevent said switch from being actuated while said closure is in the closed position.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said suction conduit and said switch are connected to the same wall of said receptacle and said opening is in the same front wall of said receptacle, and resilient means reacting on said closure and pressing said closure to the closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,618,667 Melcher Feb. 22, 1927 1,904,973 Smellie Apr. 18, 1933 2,596,210 Cogshall May 13, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 245,297 Switzerland July 1, 1947 411,253 Great Britain June 7, 1934 

